Hearts Unbroken (Foolish Heart Book2)
by roseanna01
Summary: 2nd Part of Foolish Heart. Four years later, a chance encounter reunite Christian and Ana. Just when they think they are finally on their way to their happy ending, their second chance at love will be threatened by a presence of an obsessed fan who wants Ana for himself.
1. Chapter 1

_"I'll be waiting, Ana."_

 _"N-No matter how long it takes, I will wait for you. I-I love you...I love you... I love you..."_

 **Chapter One**

Four Years Later

"How did it go last night?"

All sweaty and gasping for breath from running, Ana was welcomed by a sight of a dark haired woman sitting casually in her living room when she entered her apartment. Already familiar to seeing her friend/neighbor, lounging in her couch, Ana's flushed face showed no surprise.

"Good." She replied, trudging into the kitchen and straight to the refrigerator. She could sense the woman's eyes following her as she reached for a bottled water and drank from it greedily. "What are you doing here so early? I thought Cole is going to spend last night at your place." She asked, hoping that the mention of her boyfriend would deviate Stephanie from asking more questions.

But her friend had caught on what she was doing. Exasperated, the woman roused from the couch and followed her. "Don't change the subject." To show Ana she meant business, she sat on one of the breakfast stools and focused her dark eyes on her.

Ana let out a sigh, feeling no choice but to reply. "Last night was good. Great, actually. He picked me up 5 minutes early with a bouquet of roses in his hand." Glancing at the dozen of red roses she already placed in a vase sitting on the counter, she smiled. "He brought me to Gerbardo's. I wonder where he got the idea that I love that restaurant." She glared at her friend who she knew was the culprit. After all, her date last night was Stephanie's friend from college. The dark haired woman just grinned mischievously. Rolling her eyes, Ana went on. "He even ordered my favorites. We talked in between our courses. He asked questions, I answered. I asked questions, he answered. After dinner, he brought me back here. That's it."

Ana could see her friend's shoulders fell after hearing her story.

"That's it? You said it was a great night?" Stephanie asked to confirm. Her hopeful face broke Ana's heart a little.

"That's it."

"No kiss on the cheek or 'I'll call you again'?"

"He did mention he enjoyed the night and would be happy to do it again soon."

Stephanie frowned, already aware of what she had done. "And what did you tell him, Ana?"

Ana blew out an exhale, opting not to tell her friend how she refused the man's invitation for a second date. "Drew is a great guy, Steph. He is handsome and seems a gentleman. Honestly, I'm flattered that he wants to see me again. But-"

"But he is not Christian." Stephanie cut her sentence, familiar with her reasoning by now.

"He is not Christian." Ana mumbled, looking down at her marbled counter.

"Oh, Ana." Pity could be heard in Stephanie's voice.

She knew it was unfair to compare every guy who had taken an interest in her to _him._ It had already been four years since she left Christian in the beach and she never saw him again.

While still in Seattle and working at SIP, a part of her hoped to catch a glimpse of him. Whenever there was an executive meeting at her work and the management announced that representatives from Grey Enterprises would be attending, Ana anticipated he would show up. But he never did. It was always Ros, his second in command, who would visit the building along with others. And until her 30-day notice was up, she never saw him stepped foot in SIP. Ana had resigned from the company, left Seattle and moved to New York without seeing Christian again.

"I know it's stupid." She chuckled dryly. "I'm the one who ended our relationship because I can't see him without hurting yet I'm the one who still longs for him. Here I am, stuck in the past because I can't forget him. I can't move on." Her voice broke as tears started welling up behind her eyes.

Aware of her history with Christian, Stephanie's hand reached for hers in sympathy. Ana felt her gentle squeeze.

"You're not stupid. You fell in love and got your heart broken. It happens, you know. I only got your side of the story but I think what you did was right. If the two of you are meant to be together, you'll end up together no matter what. And look what leaving Seattle brought you. You're only 26 and already one of New York Times Best Selling Authors. People love your books and they are anticipating the upcoming ones. You've been living on your own, away from your parents and without a roommate, since you moved here. You have come a long way from who you once were, Ana."

Ana smiled at the reminder of what she had accomplished after leaving the Emerald City for the City that Never Sleeps. She could still recall how she met her former-boss-now-editor, Melissa Dolton.

Four years ago, she accompanied Jack Hyde, her former superior at SIP, in New York for their scheduled trip with a broken heart. The night before she left Seattle for the book expo, Ana had her last talk with Christian in the Alki beach.

Removing herself from his embrace and slowly stepping away from him had been two of the hardest things she ever had to do. Because even if she believed with all her heart that one day, they would see each other once more, saying goodbye to the man she loved was never easy.

But she did. Ana walked away. And Christian let her go. They parted ways, hoping that when their paths crossed again, hurt and betrayal would be history and only love and forgiveness would be there for them.

Easy to say but difficult to do, she realized when she returned from her short trip. Everything in Seattle made her think of him. The apartment she was sharing with Kate, the bedroom she was occupying and even the bed she was sleeping in all reminded her of Christian. When Ana was walking in the street, when she was eating in her favorite restaurant or when she was visiting the beach, she couldn't help but remember him.

And of course, there was SIP, the company she had grown to love. Despite Christian's absence in her workplace, she knew that it wouldn't change the fact that it was his. SIP belonged to him.

So when she met Melissa during the last day of the book fair and was handed a calling card by the older woman, offering her a job to work for her as her personal assistant, Ana grabbed the chance to start anew somewhere else. She could no longer stay in Seattle. Everything in it would always bring him back to her memory.

One week after her New York trip, she accepted Melissa's offer and submitted her 30-day notice to Jack. One month after, she was in an airplane enroute to New York, to the city where she didn't know anyone else but Melissa.

Four years later, Ana was a published author known to her readers as Addison Rose. She had published more than a handful of novels under her pen name that sold millions of copies worldwide. Stephanie was being true when she spoke that her books were loved and highly anticipated by many. She even had a fan club of her own now, created by people who admired her writings.

One of the good things that came from being a bestseller was the money. The amount in her bank account was definitely more than what she had when she first moved into the city. She was able to pay the balance of her parents' house mortgage and provide them savings for their retirement. From her earnings, Ana managed to purchase the two-bedroom apartment she was residing in. She was now capable of buying things she liked.

Stephanie was right, she had come a long way from the former Anastasia Steele.

"You can't be stuck in the past forever." Her friend's words pulled her from her thoughts. "You deserve to be happy. I'm not saying Drew can make you that but you can at least try and give yourself a chance. You've never had a boyfriend after Christian. Yes, you do go on dates. But when the guy was becoming too close to you and you were starting to feel more for him, you began shutting yourself off. It happened plenty of times now."

Ana winced at the truthfulness behind Stephanie's statement. Being her friend and neighbor, Stephanie Gibson was one of the few people who had witnessed everything that went through with her for the past four years. Never since she moved to New York did she enter another serious relationship. Yes, she did go on dates. She would go out with a man once or twice but when she started feeling like there could be more between them, she would stop seeing him, telling him she would rather be friends with him. It was foolish, Ana knew that. It was as if she was sabotaging her chance for happiness.

But she did deserve to be happy. Ana could be happy.

"I hate to say this but I think you're right." She said and waited until she got Stephanie's famous eye roll.

"You are so terrible, Ana! You're lucky I love you."

"And I love you too, friend." Deciding to shift the topic from her to her friend, Ana asked about Cole, Stephanie's on-and-off boyfriend of 2 years. The man was a nice guy who loved her friend but was too afraid to commit and Stephanie, a 30-year old lawyer, had been beginning to think of her future and had been wondering if her boyfriend was in it. "So, what happened to Cole?"

:::

After listening to Stephanie's rambling about her boyfriend and giving logical advice to her love problem, her friend left the apartment for work and Ana spent the rest of the morning writing. Hours had already passed when she removed her eyes from her laptop screen to notice the time. It didn't shock her to find that it was almost 3 in the afternoon and she had missed lunch. Sometimes, she was too involved in her stories that she got lost in what she was doing.

Standing up from her chair, Ana made a couple of stretches for her stiff back. Sitting too long with less movement was never advisable but she had been engrossed with writing that she had forgotten its bad effect on her body. When her lower back ache had faded, she exited her office/spare bedroom to grab herself an apple for lunch.

Ana could hear her mother's voice in her head admonishing her for not eating healthily. She could imagine her father's glare while she took a bite of the fruit. They were always worried about her. And her moving on the opposite side of the country didn't help.

She knew her parents were devastated when Ana told them of her decision to resign from her job and move somewhere else. Ray loudly cursed Christian, without a doubt thinking he was to blame for her leaving. Carla cried, her heart breaking for her daughter.

Despite her repeated statement, telling them Christian had nothing to do with her resignation and transfer to New York, Ana was aware that her parents didn't believe her. In their minds, her failed relationship with Christian forced her to give up her job and move away.

The ringing of her cellphone halted her reminiscing. It was Melissa, her editor, sensing that she had forgotten, reminded her of her plan that afternoon. Ana remembered promising the older woman that she would visit Big Leaves that day to collect her fan letters and gifts. She ended the call and hurriedly readied herself.

Big Leaves Publishing Company was one of New York's most sought after publishing houses and was located on the 12th floor of Ben Tower, a 10-minute walk from Ana's apartment. She had been one of their signed up authors for 3 years now and she couldn't be luckier.

Taking a quick bath and changing her clothes from tank top and sweatpants to sweater and jeans, Ana left her apartment and walked to the office.

Since people knew her as Addison Rose and not Anastasia Steele, they had no idea where she lived or who she was in real life so some of her fans had been sending letters and tokens of appreciation addressed to Big Leaves while others opted to leave private messages in her website which she personally managed herself. Every month since she started receiving the mails and gifts, Ana would stop by at her publisher's office to collect and bring them back to her place.

She would read each letter and write replies, thanking them for their support and appreciation the same way she did in her website. If there was a return address on the gift she received, Ana would buy something and send it to the address with a thank you card. It was the least she could do to show them her gratefulness for taking time and spending money to read and enjoy her novels. Without them, she would not be where she was right now.

Ana occupied herself with her cellphone as she waited for the elevator car to arrive. Ben Tower was a 40-storey building that was housing offices of different kinds. There were multiple elevators for employees and visitors to use. Ana was currently standing in front of one of them.

Seconds later, several elevator doors opened along with the one in her front. She waited until all the people inside exited before stepping in. She had her eyes on her gadget that she didn't see a man in a suit exiting last and passing right beside her. Their shoulders bumped and she heard his quiet "I'm sorry.".

Ana's head jolted up at the sound of his voice. Turning around, she tried to see him in the crowd. Her heart started to beat faster as her eyes frantically searched for him. Her sight caught a man in a grey suit striding towards the exit of the building.

 _Is he him? Is he Christian?_

Seeing only the back of his head, she couldn't confirm if it was him but her instinct told her that it was. The man with the same height as Christian's also had the same dark copper hair like him. And she heard the man's voice. Ana would never forget how Christian sounded. It was him. She knew it was him.

Hearing the sound of her heart thumping loudly in her chest, she was about to exit the elevator but the door had closed before she could step out.

"Christian," She called for him in a soft voice.

:::

 _"Christian,"_

He didn't know what made him turn around but he did just as the elevator he had just exited closed. Christian shook his head. He must be hearing things now but he thought he heard _her_ voice.

"What is it, Mr. Grey?"

He looked at the younger man with him and saw curiosity and concern on his face. Warren Abbott was his recently hired assistant after Andrea left GEH. His former assistant got married a year ago and was now 5 months on the way to having her firstborn. Due to the sensitivity of her pregnancy, the doctor advised total bed rest for her, prompting her to resign from her position.

Too busy to choose, he allowed Ros to pick Andrea's replacement from the long list of applicants. One week ago, Christian was stunned to see a man sitting at his personal assistant's desk when he arrived at the office.

When he inquired his second in command why she chose Warren, a man with little experience of the job, Ros' only reply was 'for a change' and the woman gave him a playful wink before exiting his office.

The 'change' Ros talked about had become obvious after a few days of working with him. Aside from being the first man who was hired to be his personal assistant, Warren had this easy and positive outlook on things that sometimes Christian couldn't help but envy. Unlike him, the younger man had a constant smile on his face, even if things were going haywire. It really was a nice change from all the seriousness surrounding his office.

He had no complaints about his new assistant except Warren didn't know when to stop talking. Ever since he started working for him, Christian had been going home with a case of headache after a day of suffering from his excessive babbling.

"Nothing," was all his reply.

Christian continued his stride towards the exit with Warren walking beside him.

When they reached the outside, Warren's mouth opened. "Mr. Grey, I have a cousin who lives here. His name is Gabriel and he owns this quaint bar called Emotions not far from our hotel. I-"

"Tell me what you want, Mr. Abbott. I don't have time to hear about any of your relatives." Christian cut his assistant's words. If he didn't stop him now, Warren would go on and on and his head would start to hurt.

"Uhm..."

Christian eyed him in disbelief. "Now you're loss for words?"

Drawing in a deep breath, Warren spoke. "Since we're not due to leave until 11 in the evening, I would like to ask if I can stop by at my cousin's bar? I haven't seen him in a long time. That's it if you don't need me for anything else. You can come with me if you want. It's called Emotions and I tell you, it serves the most delicious burgers in the city."

"Fine. Take the rest of the evening off but be back by 10."

Warren's eyes widened in delight. "Thank you, Mr. Grey. Uhm... You're not coming with me?"

For a moment, Christian contemplated Warren's offer. After the week he had, flying back and forth from Seatle to New York to close the deal he had been working on, he was tempted to join his assistant. A beer or two plus a burger would be nice to end a very stressful day and celebrate the now closed deal.

Maybe it would help him forget _her_ even just for a second. Not that this time it was going to be successful, he knew that already. Nothing could make him forget Ana. Not even the bottle of scotch he consumed the night he returned from Alki beach, the night he last saw her.

How long had it been? Four years. He didn't need to think hard for the answer. His mind and heart knew that it had been four years since their break up.

 _Where is she?_

Their last conversation at the Alki beach was still fresh in his mind as if it happened just yesterday. He had hurt her too much that seeing him pained her, he recalled hearing from her as tears flowed from her eyes. Christian didn't want to give up on them. Letting her go and watching her walk away from him were two of the most painful things he had done. But he knew he had to do them. He had already caused Ana so much agony that letting her go was the least he could do.

Ignoring the breaking of his own heart, he gave her what she asked for. Christian could only watch as she removed herself from his arms and without looking back, walked away from him. The pain had been unbearable that he mindlessly dropped down on his knees and cried. Taylor, who witnessed everything, carefully hoisted him up from the ground and helped him to the vehicle. Christian left the beach and never had been there again.

Both he and Ana believed that one day their paths would cross again because they were meant to be together. When that time came, he hoped she was no longer hurting and could finally forgive him. With that hope and belief, Christian lived his life after their break up trying to be the best man for her.

It wasn't easy.

He had grown up to his birth mother's lies, he realized a little too late. Ella filled his young mind with deceits, making him blame an innocent person. But everything he did, his concocted plan for vengeance, his use of money to break the laws and his disregard of what was right and wrong, Christian had no one to blame but himself. Even if Carla Wilks was guilty, he could have forgiven her and forget everything. If he was a better man, he would let everything go and not succumb to his hateful thoughts. But he was not a good man. His heart was dark and full of hatred. In the end, he lost the most important person in his life. He lost Ana.

Following Grace's advice, to whom he disclosed everything, Christian met and consulted with Dr. Flynn, a psychiatrist and therapist. He first visited the good doctor's clinic two weeks after his break up with Ana and was scheduled to see him weekly.

On his fourth appointment, Christian came in the clinic more devastated than ever after learning that Ana had resigned at SIP, her 30-day notice had ended yesterday and she was about to leave Seattle that day. She had submitted her resignation letter a month ago but since he was hands off to everything SIP-related and had asked Ros to take charge of the publishing company, the news of her resignation didn't reach him.

It was only when Elliot, Kate and Mia showed up late to Carrick's birthday celebration the night before had Christian learned that the three had been with Ana and had attended her farewell dinner no more than an hour ago. Apparently, giving up her job at SIP wasn't enough for her, Ana was due to leave Seattle the following day. The news broke his heart more.

Respecting her decision and following what she wanted, made Christian's resolve not to show up at her workplace. He didn't want to add to her ache so he never dared to step foot in SIP. He wanted to give her the space and time she needed to heal while he was doing everything he could to be the man she deserved.

But to learn that working in the company he owned and being in the same state as him were making it hard for her, Christian realized that the pain he caused her ran deeper than he could imagine. It took all his will not to see and beg her not to leave. If he did just that, it would be a selfish move on his part. Ana was doing what she needed to do to mend and overcome what happened, he told himself. If what she needed was to stop working in his company and leave the town he was living in, he would let her be.

At the end, Ana left to some place he didn't dare to find out. Because if he knew where she was, Christian was sure he would follow her.

Four years later, all he knew was she was healthy, safe and happy. Where? He had no idea.

But she never left his mind, not even when he focused himself on his company more than ever, making GEH bigger than ever. Ana still occupied his waking thoughts and dreams.

"Mr. Grey? Sir?"

Warren's voice brought him back to reality.

"What?" He asked, frowning.

"Mr. Taylor has arrived."

It was only then that he noticed Taylor was already standing beside the SUV, holding the backseat door open for him. Without words, Christian climbed in the vehicle, casting one last glance at Ben Tower with face devoid of emotion.

:::

"Are you sure it was him?"

From her bedroom, Ana heard Stephanie's question. "I know it's him." She replied while brushing her short hair with her fingers. She tried rearranging her bangs but the strands had always been as stubborn as her so she gave up. Grabbing her clutch bag, she exited to the living room. Ana was meeting a couple of her friends from Big Leaves that night in a bar.

"I don't know, Ana. There are so many grey-suit-wearing-dark-coppered-hair guys in New York." Her friend sounded doubtful as she was rummaging the contents of the box Ana brought from the publishing office. Inside were fan letters and gifts sent for her or rather for Addison Rose. Stephanie brought out a small gift bag and gasped at the content. "It's beautiful."

"It is." She couldn't help but admire the snowball. Enclosed in the glass dome were two small figures; a standing woman and a man on bended knee. "He is proposing."

"Do you think she'll say yes?"

"I'm a romance writer so I think she'll say yes and they will live happily ever after."

Stephanie chuckled but turned serious as she looked at her. "What makes you so sure it was Christian you saw?"

"It's his voice. I will never forget his voice, Steph." She answered, sitting next to her friend.

"You already have your answer."

Ana turned to her, confused. "To what?"

"I know you've been wondering what you're going to do if you saw him again. Now you finally got your answer. What did you do?"

She fell silent. Since their break up, Ana had been asking herself what would she do if they saw each other again. Would she still feel the hurt? Could she say that she had forgiven him? A future together would still be possible for them?

Looking back to the event that afternoon, she was relieved to realize she was no longer hurting. Gone was the ache she used to feel whenever she thought of him. And if only she got lucky and was able to come to him, Ana was sure she could say he was forgiven. The question about their future was one thing she couldn't answer on her own.

"I... I wanted to come to him. I was surprised but was looking forward to seeing him." She told Stephanie. When she didn't react, Ana glanced at her and saw her reading one of the letters with a scowl. "What is it?"

"Something is wrong with this." Stephanie glared at the paper in her hand.

"Let me see." Taking it from her, Ana's eyes ran over the words printed out and smiled. "It's from F.T." She said, pointing to the initials at the bottom of the paper.

"F.T.?"

"One of my fans. She's been writing me for years." Ana remembered receiving F.T.'s letter when her first novel was published three years ago. Her avid fan had been consistently writing her. "Check for more of her letters. If I'm not mistaken, there are three more of them." From sending a letter once a month, F.T.'s mails became weekly five months ago and since she was coming to Big Leaves once a month, the letters had accumulated to four.

Stephanie followed her and looked for F.T.'s other mails.

Minutes later, four letters were in front of her friend and Stephanie was glaring at them suspiciously.

"Why do you think this letter sender is a woman?"

"Do you think she's a man?" Ana chuckled. "I don't think men enjoy my books."

"Hey, Cole reads and likes them." Her friend argued, talking about her boyfriend.

"It's different. Cole is a friend and you make him read them."

"Seriously, Ana, I got this weird feeling about this F.T.. Tell me about her."

Ana's smile faded at her words. She sat up straight on the couch and eyed the letters. "Well, I received her first mail when I published my first book. It was a simple congratulations and 'I love your book', nothing extraordinary. I can't reply to her because there was no return address on the envelope. One month after, I got another letter. And it went on until five months ago. I admit I was shocked to see she sent four letters. But as always, nothing came unusual with them. She was always writing good things about my work."

"She has been sending you letters without return address for three years?" When Ana nodded, she continued. "Can't you see what's wrong with them?" Stephanie asked, pointing to F.T.'s mails.

Ana looked at them closely and her eyes grew wide. "They are all printed out."

Her friend nodded. "Yes. Tell me, do all her letters look like these? Have you received a handwritten one from her?"

She tried to remember but Ana couldn't recall a letter from F.T. that was handwritten. She shook her head no. "But she's not doing anything wrong, Steph. Maybe she doesn't like her penmanship that's why she chooses to type her letter in a computer and have it printed."

"Do you know who else choose to type letters in a computer? Stalkers and serial killers."

"Don't be like that. F.T. is just a fan."

"I really hope you're right but I've handled cases about crazy and obsessed stalkers that I'm wary enough when I think there's one."

Ana hated to admit but Stephanie's words made her a little nervous.

:::

As her cab pulled in front of Emotions, Ana's mind was still on F.T. and her letters. Shaking her head, she tried to dismiss the thought of her being a possible stalker, climbed out of the car and strode to the entrance. Emotions was her go-to bar in the city. It wasn't large and had a homey ambience unlike any other bars around. Its owner and head bartender, Gabriel Abbott, was like an uncle to her. It also served appetizing courses and was starting to get famous for their burgers. Ana loved its cheeseburger, the best she had, and she usually ordered it with a glass of beer.

Walking inside, she immediately saw her friends occupying one of the booths on the left side. A series of hi's and hello's later, Ana was seated with Denise, Big Leaves front desk officer, and Nikki, Melissa's personal assistant.

"Why are you looking at Gab?" She asked, noticing her friends were eyeing the 40-year old bar owner.

"Not him. We're looking at the man he's talking to." Gaze not leaving the bar, Denise answered.

"Yeah. The man is kinda cute." Nikki confirmed, an appreciative smile on her face as she looked at the man Gabriel was busy chatting with.

Staring at the man in topic, Ana took note of his appearance and agreed with Nikki. He was good looking and she assumed had the same age as hers. There was a permanent smile plastered on his face.

When Gabriel caught them looking at him and his companion, they smiled and waved their hands in greeting. Ana watched as he spoke to the younger man and the latter nodded. Seconds later, the two men came striding towards them.

"Hey, ladies. Glad to see you again." Gabriel greeted them with a wide smile. "I'd like you to meet my cousin, Warren. He's just stopping by from Seattle. Warren meet my favorite customers, Denise, Nikki and Ana."

"Seattle? Ana here used to work in Seattle." Denise recalled.

Warren turned to Ana. "Really?"

"Yes. But that was years ago and I've only been there in months. I haven't been in Seattle again since I moved here." She replied.

After leaving Seattle four years ago, she had never been in that city again. Ana couldn't think of a reason to be there. Her parents were in Montesano and she would come home to visit them. If she wanted to see Kate, who was still working in The Seattle Times and was now sharing an apartment with Elliot, they would meet somewhere outside Seattle. There was even a time that the two came to New York and they all had a good time exploring the city.

"Well, if you happen to be there, you just let me know, alright?" He said with a friendly beam.

Ana could only nod and smile.

:::

 _What am I doing here?_

He asked himself, pausing and glancing at his watch. 8:00. Christian got three hours left before their plane was scheduled to leave. If what Warren told him was true, he was about to eat the best hamburger in New York. Still, it was unlike him to enter a bar with a sole purpose of ordering himself food. But here he was, about to stride inside Emotions.

His assistant was already inside and was probably chatting with his cousin. Warren had no idea he would join him. The young man had left the hotel before the sun even set while Christian was in his hotel room, video conferencing with Ros. Before he changed his mind, he stepped inside.

:::

As always, Ana had enjoyed Gabriel's cheeseburger. Her meeting with her friends was also one the of the highlights of her night. She missed them. They had grown close when she was still working at Big Leaves with them. Before Nikki became Melissa's personal assistant, it was Ana who held that position. But when she chose to focus on her writing and signed a contract to be one of the publishing house's authors, she resigned.

She didn't regret giving up her eight to five career. One perk in being a writer was Ana could have the entire day to herself if she chose to. But sometimes, she was too preoccupied with her stories that mornings and afternoons had already passed without her realizing. And there were the missed meals she had forgotten to eat.

Well, one's choice of work had its upsides and downsides.

Noticing the time, Ana roused from the booth. "Excuse me for a while."

"Is it 8 already?" Denise asked, discerning what she was about to do.

Pulling out her cellphone from her clutch, she replied. "Yeah. I'll be back."

"Tell your mom and dad we said 'Hi'." Nikki spoke as Ana headed for the door.

"I will."

Every night at exactly 8 in the evening, Ana would call her parents. She had been doing that for the past four years. They didn't ask her to do that but she knew they were always worried for her and hearing her voice, assuring them she was alright, was all she could do for them from where she was, in a city almost 3,000 miles away from them.

Ana had her eyes on her cellphone as she walked when the door opened and a man stepped inside. It was too late now, she bumped into the man's chest before she could stop herself. An arm was instantly wrapped around her waist, preventing her from bouncing back and possibly falling on the floor on her ass.

"I'm so-" All her words were forgotten as she looked up and was met with a familiar pair of intense grey eyes. Her eyes widened, her mouth gaped open and her heart started beating faster and louder recognizing the man whose body was pressed against hers and arm still wrapped around her. "C-Christian,"

:::

 _tbc..._


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: My sincere apology for taking too long to update. Real life got in the way. Please enjoy!

:::

 **Chapter Two**

He blinked once. Then twice. His mind was trying to convince himself that he wasn't imagining, that the woman in his arm at the moment wasn't just a fantasy, that it was really her.

"A-Ana," He whispered her name, afraid that he was only being deceived.

How many times did Christian assume that it was her whenever he saw a woman with long brown hair in a distance only to be sadly mistaken? How many instances did he envision her, hoping to ease the ache and longing he was feeling since she left? How many nights did she haunt him in his dreams and when he was to about to reach for her, she disappeared, fading into nothingness?

"Ana," He repeated.

"Christian," She did the same and softly uttered his name for the second time that night.

"You cut your hair." Of all the words he deduced he would first say to her once he saw her again, speaking about her now short mane wasn't in his list. But her much shorter hair instantly caught his gaze. Gone was her long strands which used to cascade below her shoulders before. Ana's hair was now short, barely reaching her chin. Its dark brown color was now shades lighter. He lifted his free hand and was about to touch it but changed his mind at the last second.

"Your facial hair is thicker." Ana blurted out before she could stop better. What once used to be a five o' clock shadow, his stubble was now much thicker, covering his mouth and jawline in a more dangerous and sexier way.

His chuckle made people's eyes flickered to them. Realizing their position, Christian carefully let her go and Ana slowly took a step back. Both did with great hesitation.

Although knowing several glances were being thrown at them, Christian couldn't care less. He had only one focus and it was the woman standing before him whose blue eyes were staring at him in surprise.

In that moment, nothing else mattered except her.

"Y-You are here," He choked out, eyes brimming with emotions.

Teary, she nodded. "I-I am here."

:::

From his position, standing a few steps from her with his back leaning against the brick wall and hands deep in his jeans' pockets, Christian stared at her as she talked to her parents on her cellphone.

When they both collected themselves from the shock of seeing each other once more, Ana excused herself, telling him she needed to make a quick call. He knew she was expecting him to wait for her inside but he couldn't let her out of his sight so he followed her in the street and kept a distance while she dialed her parents' number.

Despite the inadequacy of lights outside, Christian couldn't stop himself from running his gaze over her lithe form, admiring how the long sleeves red dress she was donning was hugging her body perfectly. It was tight and fitted her like a second skin. Its length gave him great view of her slender thighs and flawless legs. The black stilettos on her feet made her already long legs seemed endless. Four years after, Ana had turned into a more confident and sexier woman and he still found himself captivated by her just like he was in the past.

Feeling his heated gaze on her, Ana was having a hard time concentrating on her conversation with her parents. She couldn't believe how she was just as affected by his presence as she once was. Christian could still make her stutter and fumble just by gawking at her.

She glanced at him and noted his appearance. He seemed larger. Ana was aware that he used to spend an hour or two in his house gym and it looked to have paid out. His upper body appeared to be broader than before, making her curious if underneath his jacket and shirt were the same hard muscles she loved running her fingers over. Thinking about Christian without a shirt on had her lost her focus on Carla.

 _"Ana, dear, are you still there?"_ She heard her mother asked, pulling her back to their conversation.

"Yes, mom. I'm sorry. I'll call you again tomorrow alright?"

 _"Okay. Take care. We love you."_

"Love you too, mom and dad."

Seeing Ana put her gadget back in her clutch, he stood up straight.

She walked to him with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry about that. I need to call them before they panic and assume I'm missing."

He smiled. "It's alright."

Silence fell between them, both trying to discern what to do next.

"Can we-" "I want-" They spoke at the same time.

"You go first. What is it?" Christian urged.

"I want to talk to you." She spoke with confidence she didn't know she had. "To catch up on things."

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

"Really? We can go to a quieter place if you like." She suggested. Emotions, with its loud music constantly blaring in the room, was not a preferable place to talk.

"I would love that. But I have to see and talk to my assistant first."

"Andrea is in there? I didn't see her."

Christian shook his head. "It's not Andrea. She resigned a week ago. Sensitive pregnancy."

"She's having a baby? I'm happy for her." She said with delight. "I need to go inside too and say goodbye to my friends." Ana knew Denise and Nikki had witnessed her moment with Christian a while ago and were probably curious as to who he was.

"Can I meet them?" He wasn't shock to see the startled look on her face. Even he was stunned at his own question. His interest in her and what she had been up to all these years prompted him to blurt out his query without thinking twice.

"Of course, I'll introduce you to them." She answered.

They started heading towards the entrance.

"Is this your first time at Emotions?" Ana inquired.

"Yes."

"Did you know Emotions serves the best burger in town? You must try it. I love their cheeseburgers. I just had one, actually." She knew was rambling but Ana was anxious.

She heard running into your ex was awkward. It couldn't be more true, she knew about it now. Especially if said ex was once had been the love of your life, Ana thought.

 _He still is._ Her heart argued. _Christian has been, still is and will always be the love of her life._

"Yeah, my assistant, Warren, has told me about it. He is related to the owner, I remember he mentioned about it."

She paused and turned to him. "Warren is your assistant?"

Christian's brows furrowed, curious as to how she knew about Warren. "Yes. Do you know him?"

Ana smiled widely. "I met him a while ago. Gab, the bar owner, introduced him to us. They are cousins. I can't believe it. It's a small world."

"Small world, it is." He couldn't agree more.

:::

"Do you still run?" As his gaze returned to her after scanning the room, Christian asked but immediately regretted his action when she almost choked on her coffee upon hearing his question.

He couldn't help but remember their first meeting when he roamed his eyes around the coffeehouse they entered after leaving Emotions. Memories of their _accidental_ meeting flooded his mind as soon as they stepped inside. Christian recalled how he patiently waited for her that particular night, already knowing she would pass by in front of her favorite coffee shop while doing her evening run.

"Ana, I'm so-"

She shook her head, halting his apology. "Actually, I still do."

He wanted to hit himself for being insensitive. Making her recall how they first met, which he orchestrated as part of his stupid plan, was a foolish move. "This is a lot harder than I thought." Christian admitted in a low voice.

Ana gazed at him with understanding.

It had been almost two hours since they saw each other again and things had been a little awkward as soon as they left the bar.

When they entered Emotions, she introduced Christian to her friends, Denise and Nikki, who both eyed him from head to toe with curiosity. He got to taste Gabriel's cheeseburger and agreed that it was the best.

To say Warren was stunned to see Christian stepped inside the bar with her was an understatement. The younger man couldn't stop babbling, stating what Christian and Ana had realized just moments ago- it was indeed a small world.

After consuming his burger, they left the bar and walked to the nearest coffeehouse to continue their conversation. Once inside, Christian ordered two cups of coffee for them while she picked a table. She opted for seats on the far corner of the room.

For a moment, they just sat opposite each other and took sips of their coffee in silence, neither one knew what to say.

They were no longer in a place where lights were dim and loud music was filling the quietness between them. Inside the coffeehouse, bright lights were making them see each other clearly and the soft music in the background wasn't enough to disturb them once they decided to finally talk and not just look at each other.

"I agree. Maybe that's why there are Do's and Don't's and Things To Remember When Running Into Your Ex Again lists in the Internet." She spoke, giggling at the ludicrousness of it.

Christian's face showed disbelief. "There are?"

Ana nodded.

"Well, that would have been a big help had I known." He murmured, loud enough for her to hear.

The chuckles that erupted from both of them melted what once had been awkwardness between them, making them recall how comfortable they had been in each other's presence before.

"You don't have to feel like you're walking on eggshells with me, Christian." Ana uttered softly when she recovered.

"I don't know how to do this."

"Me too. But what I know is bringing up something from the past- our past- is inevitable. It will happen for sure. How about let's do our best not to be particular about it?"

Christian nodded his agreement.

"I know I said I wanted to talk to you but I don't think we can do that right now."

"Why not?"

She glanced at her wristwatch. _10:00pm._ If he left now, he still would have an extra hour to go back to his hotel room, check out and drive to the airport to catch his flight back to Seattle. "Warren mentioned your schedule."

"I'm staying."

"Christian,"

"No. I'm staying. Don't expect me to just go and leave you because that won't happen. Four years, Ana. Four years of not seeing you, not knowing where and how you are or what you have been doing, I can't do that again. Don't make me go through with that again." He didn't want to tell her but he was scared. He was scared that if he left now, she would be gone when he returned.

There was despair in his voice that Ana understood too well. The truth was, she hated the fact that he was about to leave, not knowing if she was going to see him again after tonight.

"Okay." She conceded. "But I live here, Christian. I've been living here since I left Seattle. I have a place of my own and a job here. I'm saying these because I want you to know that I'm not going anywhere. When you leave tonight, I'll still be here if you come back."

"It's _when_ not _if_."

"What?"

"If I leave New York, it's a matter of _when_ I'm returning and not _if_ I'm returning. I just want to make that clear with you."

Flabbergasted at his determined face and firmly spoken words, she could only stare at him. Did she hear it correctly? Did he mean she would be seeing more of him? Ana's heart fluttered at the thought.

Christian could see how his statement caught her off guard. Didn't she know how he had been waiting for this moment for years? Didn't she think that if given the chance again, there would be no letting go nor goodbye this time? He was resolved to make it up to her for his past mistakes, hoping to be eventually forgiven.

"I'm staying, Ana. Let me call Warren and Taylor. They are probably waiting for me at the hotel right now." He stood up and dug out his cellphone from his pocket.

Ana was pulled from her thought at the mention of his driver/bodyguard. "Taylor came with you?"

"Yes. He'll be happy to see you."

In her nod, Christian stepped out of the coffeehouse and into the street. Ana glanced at him from the glass window. A part of her still couldn't believe that he was there right now, standing only a few steps away from her. She had dreamt of that moment many times than she could count. Plenty of times she imagined different scenarios where, when and how they would see each other again. None of those scenes brought justice to what happened moments ago. The familiar feeling of being wrapped around his arm, the intensity she saw in his grey eyes as he gazed at her and the warmth of his body when it was pressed against hers exceeded her expectations and made her ache for him to tighten his hold on her, to kiss her like there was no tomorrow and to never let her go.

When he turned and saw her gawking at him, Ana's cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink. She looked away shyly.

:::

"I saw you this afternoon." Ana disclosed.

After talking to both Taylor and Warren, Christian returned inside and they continued their conversation.

"At Ben Tower." She went on, seeing his confused look. "My office, Big Leaves Publishing Company, is on the 12th floor of that building. You passed by me while you're exiting the elevator. Our shoulders kind of bumped into each other. You said sorry."

"I'm sorry, I didn't notice you." He confessed, quietly berating himself for missing seeing her earlier.

She grinned. "Don't apologize. I didn't see you actually. I was busy with my cellphone. It was your voice that I recognized."

"I'd like to think we are destined to see each other again today."

"I'd like to think that too."

"You work at a publishing company?"

"Yes. Umm... I'm one of Big Leaves' signed up authors."

Christian's eyes widened. "You're a writer?"

Ana raised and waved her hand, trying to wave off her shyness. "It's no big deal. I'm not famous or anything. I doubt you'll know it's me if you came across my works -which are romance books by the way- because I'm using a pen name."

"What's your pen name?"

"Addison Rose."

"You are Addison Rose? Grace, Mia and Kate love your books."

Christian had come across her novels once in his parents' house one Sunday afternoon. He had arrived early for the family weekend dinner and spotted his mother, sister and Kate spread out in the living room, discussing names he couldn't recognize. He then saw multiple copies of what seemed like a book series scattered amongst them. He glanced at them and read some of the titles- One Last Time, Why Goodbye, Waiting For You. All written by one author- Addison Rose.

Curious, he grabbed one and ran his eyes on the cover. It was an image of a man and a woman hugging each other, their eyes were closed but tears streaked their faces. A creased formed on his forehead, wondering since when did his mother and sister read romantic novels. Presuming it was Kate's influence, he put the book down back on the table and left the room to see Carrick and Elliot. Unbeknownst to him, three pairs of eyes followed his retreating form with interest.

"Yeah, they do. Mia is always bugging me for spoilers." She spoke.

When she told him how she had been, he didn't expect that the Anastasia, who left Seattle years ago, was now a successful author. Already aware of her potential even before, he knew she was capable to be who she wanted to be.

He was happy for her success and everything she had accomplished after leaving Seattle. How he just wished he was there, by her side, as she did those things. How nice it must have been to witness her first book release, feeling just as excited as he knew she was and whispering words of encouragement to her because he knew, without a doubt, her work was going to be phenomenal and people would definitely love it. But he didn't get to experience it and he deduced he would always envy those who had been there with her during one of the most important moments of her life.

"I'm happy for you, Ana. I really am. I'm proud of who you've become." He said sincerely.

At the end, Christian would never change a thing. If what it took for her to succeed was her being away from him, he would, albeit with great reluctance, let her go. Ana deserved every best thing in life and his selfishness and possessiveness weren't those things.

"Your words mean a lot, Christian. I-I hope you understand why I left. It was hard..."

He didn't need to voice it out but Ana knew she hurt him when she resigned at SIP and left Seattle. She learned from Kate, who was told by Elliot and Mia, how her abrupt departure affected him. She didn't regret her decisions but she did regret its effect on him. She didn't mean to cause him added pain, aware that he, too, was hurt by their break up.

It took a lot for Christian, who was capable of finding her in a snap of his fingers, to respect what she wanted. He was trying to change, she realized one week after she had arrived to New York and he never showed up on her doorstep. If he was still the same man he once was, the man who had her dossier in his home, the man who had her followed without her knowledge, the man who planned on hurting her, she knew he would arrive in her apartment, wanting her to return with him to Seattle. But he didn't. Instead, he let her be.

"You did what you had to do. I hurt you, Ana, and it's something I will regret for the rest of my life."

 _I've forgiven you._ The words were at the tip of her tongue but for some unknown reason, she couldn't utter them. Looking at him, she tried to feel the familiar ache in her heart but there was none. But why she was finding it hard to say she had forgiven him? Just earlier that night, she was confident she could tell those words to him so easily.

"Ana? Are you okay?"

Christian's question pulled her to present. "I'm fine. I-I'm just glad to see you again."

:::

If Taylor was surprised to the quick embrace she gave him upon seeing him, Ana couldn't read it on his stoic face but she did notice the corner of his mouth lifted.

"It's good to see you, Ms. Steele." Taylor said, smiling warmly.

"It's good to see you too, Taylor. Have you and Gail been well?" She asked, fondly remembering the older man's wife.

"We have. Thank you for asking."

Christian and Ana had lost track of time as they traded stories.

She listened while he talked about GEH's expansion. Ana could see how proud he was of his company, which had been included in the world's most profitable companies list for the past two years. GEH's success had always been because of his and his employees' work attitude and hardwork.

His face showed delight as Ana spoke of how she had become an author. What started out as a pastime she used to do whenever she couldn't sleep at night, had made her discover what she really wanted to do in her life and who she wanted to be.

It was almost midnight when they noticed the time. Deciding to call it a night, Christian phoned Taylor, who pulled into the coffee shop's front minutes later.

After her exchanged greeting with the older man, Ana climbed in the backseat of the vehicle with Christian and Taylor drove them to her place.

:::

She stopped in front of her apartment door and turned to Christian. "Do you want to come inside?"

He shook his head. "It's already late. You should rest." He wanted to say yes to her invitation but noticing her droopy eyes, he opted to decline.

"Okay."

"I'm staying at the Hilton and it's not far from here." Drawing in a deep breath, he paused to stare at her. "If it's alright with you, I want to see you again, Ana. I can come and bring you breakfast tomorrow morning. That is if you have don't have any plans."

She smiled. "Breakfast with you sounds good. I'll see you in the morning."

Seconds passed and they just stood in front of each other, neither knew how to end the night, neither wanted to end the night.

Aware of their closeness, Ana tilted her head up and met his eyes. Their faces were merely inches apart.

Time seemed to stop.

Their breaths turned ragged.

Their heartbeats became louder and faster.

Lost in his gaze, she bit her lower lip. Her action elicited a groan from Christian.

It happened so fast but not surprisingly.

Ana saw him closing the distance between their faces and without an ounce of doubt of what she was about to do, she met him halfway, crushing her lips against his.

His arms encircled her in an instant. Her hands reached for him. Their bodies now pressed against each other.

Parting her lips, she felt him deepened their kiss and she returned it with the same passion and intensity.

 _Home._ Her mind cried as tears started falling from her closed eyes.

She was home.

:::

 _tbc..._


End file.
